1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wheeled terrain boards such as skateboards, long boards, mountain boards, all-terrain boards, scooters, and the like, more specifically the present invention is directed to wheeled terrain boards and frames for wheeled terrain boards.
2. Description of Related Art
Wheeled terrain boards typically include a deck on which a rider stands with both feet, and a pair of wheels supported at either end of the deck by trucks. Wheeled terrain boards include skateboards, long boards, street boards, scooters, all-terrain boards, mountain boards and the like.
Skateboards are one of the most well-known types of wheeled terrain boards. Skateboards, which are primarily used on streets, skate parks, half-pipes, or other hard and smooth surfaces, have relatively lightweight construction and a solid (e.g., polyurethane) wheel design. Long boards and street boards are, in general, skateboards that have a large deck, which allows for increased ride stability at faster speeds. Long boards and street boards are used primarily on the street or other paved surfaces.
An all-terrain board, also known by its acronym, “ATB”, is a relatively new type of wheeled terrain board, somewhat similar in nature to a skate board, but which can be ridden on all forms of terrain, including the roughest of terrain found on mountains, hills, valleys, rough and rocky roads, dirt roads, as well as grassy terrain and sand. ATBs can also be ridden on paved streets, but are built to enable the rider to conquer all forms of land terrain. ATBs are often ridden on the mountains of ski and snow board resorts during the spring, summer and fall when there is little or no snow, and thus provide resort operators and their customers with an exciting off-season sport. Mountain boards are similar to ATBs, but are not built for use on paved streets. Unlike skateboards, both ATBs and mountain boards typically have pneumatic tires (e.g., rubber inflated tires on rims). One example of an ATB is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,018 to Lee, entitled “All Terrain Sport Board And Steering Mechanism For Same.”
Scooters may be similar to an all-terrain board, mountain board, skateboard, long board, or street board, but with the distinguishing feature of having a handle extending above the deck for grasping by the rider.
These different types of wheeled terrain boards present the modern rider with many options, and require the rider to purchase many different boards for use on different terrain. This can be costly, especially where the rider wants to experiment with different commercially available components (e.g., decks, trucks, and tires) to find those components that are most effective for his or her riding style on a particular terrain surface.
A skateboard having an adjustable length is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,907 to Meridith, entitled “Skateboard”. This patent describes a skateboard having a deck with front and rear members. Associated sets of wheels are attached to each of the front and rear members, and a removable deck insert may be inserted between or removed from the deck to provide extended or retracted lengths of the skateboard. The removable insert may be installed to lengthen the board for adult use, or removed to shorten the board for a child's use. Problematically, the skateboard described in the '907 patent provides only two discrete lengths—one for children and one for adults. Also, the skateboard requires a special deck with complex hardware attachments beneath the deck.